#stealth (2005)

[c-53]

Stealth (2005) is a terrible movie and no one should watch it, but this scene is so fucking funny to me.

[fuckyeah-jessicabiel]

23.07.2005 ~ Jessica Biel during “Stealth” Press Conference at Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami, Flordia

[visibun]

...so there's a small problem starting to present itself in my bank account—

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Stealth (Cohen, 2005)

I’d been meaning to check this out after the Corridor Crew YouTube channel featured a scene in one of their videos that I thought looked kinda fun. The fact that this has numerous scenes of the evil robot plane blasting nu metal that it illegally downloaded from the internet while blowing things up left and right means that in some ways this represents the apotheosis of nu metal cinema. The way I judge garbage like this is whether it moves fast enough that you don’t have to think too hard about what’s happening. Whether it gets my synapses firing, as I may have said elsewhere. It’s the only genre better suited to being watched while sick.

Unfortunately I was feelin’ fine while watching this and found it pretty boring. While the cropped transfer on Tubi probably didn’t help, this is paced like death, doesn’t have enough visual flair to make any of this look cool, and has the smugness/charisma ratio of the heroes severely out of whack. Only Jessica Biel is tolerable because she doesn’t seem to be actively douchey, but the absence of unlikable qualities does not mean the presence of likeable ones. It’s a little sad to see Sam Shepard holed up in the control room trying to do some actual acting, but I’m sure he cried all the the way to the bank. Probably funded a few more plays with his paycheque.

I will say that there are times when the effects take on an accidentally psychedelic quality, and there are frames from this that would look great taken out of context by one of those “one perfect shot” social media accounts. Nobody is tripping over themselves to make a case for Rob Cohen these days, and with good reason. But it’s a little surprising that a decade ago, when a certain strain of online critic was busy jerking off Paul W. S. Anderson and the like, that none of them went to bat for this garbage. But I guess some directors are too lame for vulgar auteurism. Like there’s no piece titled “The Dystopia is Now: The Dismal Visions of Andrzej Bartkowiak”. Nobody hammered out an essay like this:

“Cohen reconciles the inherent contradiction at the heart of militaristic cinema - admiration for the courage of the warrior class and a jaundiced view of their leadership and American foreign policy - with the technological fetishism of the 2000s mass market blockbuster, offering a more skeptical and nuanced alternative to the giddy, uncomplicated Bayhemian visions dominating the cinematic landscape during the decade. Its critical and commercial failure only proved his thesis correct, as the truths his film offered were too raw for audiences to swallow.”

Anyway if anyone is writing a piece about Stealth, feel free to quote that out of context.

[piratesexmachine420]

Just watched Stealth (2005). It's fine. Characteristically racist and jingoistic as you'd expect from an '05 US military movie, but better than something like, say, Michael Bay's Transformers. 3/5 stars. I'd watch it again if I were stuck on a long flight and they didn't have anything better.

[here-there-were-dragons]

does anyone else remember that time during when every single thing had these super high definition detailed 3d renders of incredibly glossy hyperrealistic blobs of water undulating and wiggling in very specific tiny ways to show how they could get the simulation to do realistic details so tiny and complicated on it, even when the thing is question had absolutely nothing to do with water, because the technology to render it like that was new and everything was trying to seem cool by going ‘look how real we can make this now’, where someone would have had to draw that before and would likely not have done as convincing a job?

[dresshistorynerd]

Hi! I just read your analysis of the P&P 2005 costumes. I'm currently in the process of researching Regency-period fashion for fic purposes; I'm writing a f/f story in a slightly alternate Regency world in which on top of regular marriages, parents (especially in the higher classes) could and did arrange for gay marriages for those of their children who wouldn't inherit - the principle being that the parents could set these couples up with a part of the estate that, upon those couple's death, would revert back to the estate to be inherited onwards, and thus not mess with an entailed estate all that much.

Anyway, long story short, my thought was that in these marriages, there would *still* be a masculine and feminine role, just independent of gender - and there would be according fashions. So, for example, a man's three-piece suit for a woman who took the masculine role in a f/f marriage, just cut towards the female figure, and perhaps with other nods towards the wearer's gender too, and similar for a man who took the feminine role in a m/m marriage.

I just wanted to reach out and see what you think of this and see if you'd have as much fun thinking about this as I have!

Thank you for your message, this honestly sounds really cool!! I think it's very interesting idea to come up with reasoning how arranged same sex marriage would work in a Regency class and land ownership system. I absolutely had so much fun thinking about this, maybe too much fun because look at how long this post is :'D You are entirely free to ignore all of this, I just had a lot of ideas, since your story has such an interesting premise. If you any of this catches your fancy, use it however you like!

I think it makes sense that in a very patriarchal and gender essentialist Regency society the couple would be expected to perform heterosexuality even while literally being in a gay marriage. What you described, men's clothing fitted to women's undergarments, is basically what costumes for breeches roles were usually in theater, roles for female actors, usually as a young leading boy. (Reverse roles, male actors playing female characters, usually elder/motherly roles, were just as common.) Another approach could be to use the women's silhouette, skirt with empire waist, but otherwise the clothing is similar to men's fashion. While most women's Regency styles were particularly strongly contrasted with men's styles, there was quite a lot of masculine styles too, which might work for that purpose.

I think the approach that would make most sense depends on how you want the gnc people seen and understood in the althis society of your story. In Regency society cross-dressing, women wearing pants and men wearing skirts, was seen as stepping into the other gender role. Cross-dressing was not acceptable outside theater, and people who did it needed to be stealth. So if you vision them taking the role of the opposite gender fully and not just in their relationship - living as the opposite gender and treated like that gender (for example the gnc women are allowed men's education and gnc men are not etc.) - I think it makes more sense that they would be using similar clothing as the costumes of the cross-dressing roles in theater. In that specific position it would then become acceptable to cross-dress. But if you envision them more in the societal positions of their own/assigned gender, and just embodying some opposite gender roles, especially in their marriage, I think it might make more sense for them to use the basic silhouettes of the fashion of their gender but in style the opposite gender.

So if you're interested, here's some historical styles and some additional ideas that could work as inspiration.

Before Renaissance men and women's fashions were not separate, but they started drifting apart when wearing skirts became unacceptable for men (which I have a whole long post about). However, very quickly women's fashion started to take influence from men's fashion for certain styles. Riding habit was the first one of these masculine styles for women. It originated from 17th century as men's clothing but with a skirt. From very early on men's military uniforms were a huge influence. A distinctive feature compared to other styles is the long trail so when the woman sits on the horse, her legs are not too exposed. Here's some regency examples. First example is from mid 1797-98. The bodice is exactly in the style of men's fashion of the period. Second is from 1808 in a very militaristic style.

Redingote or pelisse was a long walking dress often in the masculine styles of the riding habit. It was adapted from riding habit to fashionable day wear for outdoors in 1780s. It started as very masculine in line with riding habits, but in 1800s styles without the masculine elements also appeared. Though masculine and military styles were still common. Here's first a redingote from 1800, which follows masculine fashion of the day very closely. The second is from 1810s and has collar from men's fashion and detailing and color are loose references to military styles. The third one is quite military inspired redingote from 1814. It has long train and was probably for carriage rides.

Spencer was a very short casual jacket, modelled after men's fashion again. It became fashionable in 1790s and in the following decades it gained many variations, some not at all masculine in style, and some for formal usage too. Here's very masculine styles as examples, first is from c. 1799, second from c. 1815.

One last trend I'll mention is very short hair imitating Roman men's hairstyles, which became very fashionable for men after the French Revolution, but very similar hair for women became a trend in late 1790s. It was a bold style but for couple of decades it was very popular. I think the woman in the first example above is growing out her Titus cut. There's a little tuft on top of her head, which makes it look like her hair isn't long enough for a bun but secured at the back anyway. Here's couple of actual examples. First is from early 1800s, specific date unknown, showing a slightly longer than usual version of the style. Second is from around the same time, 1798-1805, displaying very well how hair was cut to imitate side burns, which were fashionable for men. The third example from 1809 has the typical cut, where it's very short in the back of the head and little longer and curled in the front.

Many Regency sapphics did favour these styles, since they were acceptable ways to present in a more masculine manner. Anne Lister, perhaps the most famous Regency lesbian, presented very masculinely in her portraits. Below her outfit looks like a redingote in this 1822 painting. An infamous upper class Irish sapphic couple, Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, lived together for decades in Whales. Here's an illustrations of them from 1818 in their older age wearing masculine redingotes and sporting Titus hairstyles.

I think in a society where gnc queer people are part of the system, they might have their own slightly different dress codes. For the gnc women/afab people I'm thinking their evening dress might have redingote or spence or perhaps open robe in style of men's evening wear which was black with white cravat (second image below). The open robe could be something like the first image below but fully black, tailored, with large lapels, high collars in the white chemisette and white cravat.

Men's gnc fashion is much harder problem since femininity in men was much less (and still very much seems to be) accepted than masculinity in women. I think it's the old patriarchal superiority of masculinity issue (even if women shouldn't break gender roles at least they are "upgrading", while men would be "downgrading"). I think it might be interesting thought to take inspiration from the styles previous to French Revolution. Regency men's fashion (all Regency fashion really) was result of the French Revolution. I talk more about it in this post, but previously manhood and womanhood had only really been fully available for the upper classes and they were based mostly on displays of wealth. The revolutionaries rejected the aristocratic gender construction and instead created their own. It was based less on class and more on the gender (and racial, but we won't have the time to touch on that here) divide. Aristocratic gender expressions were deemed decadent and the bad kind of feminine. (French Revolution may not have been the origins of the Madonna-whore complex, but they certainly cemented it to the public conscience.) That's how men's Regency fashion was stripped out of colour, detailing and luxurious materials, the overt displays of wealth. New masculine styles were all about evoking militarism, country side and practicality of a working man. Most of it was aesthetic and the class structure remained, but altered heavier in the lines of gender and race/ethnicity. To show you how the fashion was seen, here's couple of satirical cartoons both from 1787 literally calling men wearing the more courtly flamboyant styles women. (First source, second source.)

It's not entirely unrealistic that the outdated fashions would remain along the new styles. Courts were resistant to change (especially since the change had anti-monarchist implications) and upheld the outdated dress codes, so court suits were very much continuation of the fashion prior to the revolution (though court suits too started to become increasingly subdued by the 1820s). Here's examples from 1805 and 1813.

In an alternative historical world like this, I think the pre-revolution styles might have kept on and evolved as a more feminine version of the more general men's fashion. Since masculinity had been tied with rural areas and working class, I think the gnc men's style wouldn't have lapels or turned down collars, which originated from working class clothing, but upward collars like in the 18th century dress coats and Regency court suits (maybe downward collars in informal coats, but not lapels). Maybe they would keep on with the long hairstyles where they tie up their hair with a ribbon, though I don't think they would keep powdering the hair as it went out of fashion for women too. Instead they might style the front of the hair similar to women by cutting hair shorter in the front (basically a mullet) and curling the front of it to frame the face. I don't think they would be wearing the loose trousers, which were very strongly working class till the beginning of 1800s, when they started to be accepted as informal wear for upper class men. Though I think pantaloons would become informal part of feminine men's fashion after general men's fashion would start accepting them as formal wear around 1810s. Here's some examples from 1780s, which could be used as inspiration. First is from 1785-1790, second is from 1788 and the third is from c. 1770.

Dress coats were used still in the Regency era not just in court suits but also in morning dress. The cut and silhouette of men's fashion changed after the 1780s, most significantly with the shorter waistcoats. Here's couple of morning riding dresses (they have riding boots) from 1801 and 1806. I envision the feminine men's style as using the fashionable cuts and silhouette of the day, but combining them with the less structured and finer fabrics, patterns, colours and embelishments of pre-revolution styles. In evening wear I think they could wear white, like women, or at least light colours.

Okay, here's finally all my ideas, I had much more of them than I initially thought! It was so much fun to think about an alternative history like this, so thank you very much for your ask! I hope you found this fun or interesting to read at least, but please take my ideas as just my opinion and if any of it contradicts your vision, just ignore it. It's fiction and an alternative universe in addition so you can follow history just as much or little as you like.

Basically, your story sounds very cool, and I wish you good writing!

[ataraxiaspainting]

Animal Cannibal.

Yan Dottore x F Reader.

Synopsis: Violent individuals were frequently drawn to you, including your dear friend Willow, who shares your affinity for this destructive behavior. Your stalker, too, possesses a similar infatuation with you. The bond between the three of you lies in the intertwined emotions of violence and love.

Warnings: Yandere themes, violence/gore, stalking, cannibalism, minor character death, implied future kidnapping, manipulation, mentions of not SFW, and non-consensual human experimentation. 

Word Count: 2.2k.

Ten Songs Like This Piece:

Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps

Killer Queen by Queen

Psycho Killer - 2005 Remaster by Talking Heads

I Want To Break Free by Queen

Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me by Tiny Tim

Exploration by Bruno Coulais 

Take on Me by a-ha

You Are My Sunshine by Charles McDonald

Everybody Loves Somebody by Dean Martin

Dream A Little Dream Of Me - Single Version by Ella Fitgerald (feat. Louis Armstrong)

“But love shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg!” – Possibly in Michigan (1983)

*~*~*~*

i. “My own experiments have given me a deep understanding of the true nature of suffering… and I’m keen to share it with a willing guinea pig, hm?”

You found a strange man outside of your house.

He was taller than you–with hair the color of mint that covered his eyes, his beard long and poorly taken care of with split ends and some leaves and small sticks stuck to the thicker parts of it.

He waved at you when he saw you approaching. He did not scare you, not one bit.

He did not blend into his surroundings well because of how unique his appearance was. He wore an open black waistcoat with some of its buttons hanging on by a loose thread and nothing underneath. His pants were torn from the knee down. Grossly, you smelled him before you even saw him.

“Hello, sir,” You say, stepping a bit closer carefully, skillfully, being sure to not make a sound to startle or agitate him. You have become well-acquainted with unfamiliar gentlemen lurking around your residence as daylight fades, after all. “It’s getting late, isn’t it? Do you have a place to stay? There is an inn nearby I think if you don’t.” For better or for worse, stealth is something you are quite intimate with. “Sir? Are you alright? Sir?” The man did not respond, simply looking past you like you were not there.

He looked on into the brightwood trees, the wild, overgrown bushes dotted with purple Sumeru roses, and the rising, circular moon. You have a sudden flash of inspiration; since you have no weapon on you, you could bite him and claw at him if he tried anything. Your eyes go downcast, to his tattered, dirty leather shoes, as you dismiss the idea. 

“Excuse me? Do you need something? Sir?”

“I don't,” The man finally said, his voice raspy. “What about you? Do you live somewhere?”

“Here, I live here.” You could not hear what he mumbled as a response because of how quiet he was. “I live here. This is my home. You are outside my door and I can’t get in. Please, if you don’t need assistance, take a few steps back from it.”

Instead of looking at him, you look at your door. That is when you saw it; a hairpin lodged into your lock.

The man took it out and ran into the forest.

Despite the slight dents on your front door's lock, your house remained in good condition. Its aged appearance stood in stark contrast to the lush greenery that thrived just a few meters away. The wood showed signs of decay, with splits and a distinct scent of dampness and decomposing fish. Attached to the house was a collection of neglected Sumeru rose bushes, stunted and infested with flies. A rockery filled the space with an abundance of rocks, while a fairy ring composed of squishy brown toadstools emitted a dreadful odor when mistakenly stepped upon.

ii. “There is a sickness inside of me. I feel it eating away at me, eroding my mind and body. But I do not care. If I have to suffer for knowledge, I gladly will.”

The well outside your house was, for lack of a better word, still decrepit. But still, it seems like the man did not do anything to it. On the first day you moved in, all alone, the old couple that lived a hundred or so meters away made a point of telling you how dangerous the well was, and they warned you to be sure you kept away from it. 

You found it as soon as you stepped onto the property, it was in front of your house after all, smelling strongly of damp, dirty water, behind a clump of trees—a low brick circle almost hidden in the high grass. There were nests of drain flies that from afar looked like crushed pebbles. It made you step back a bit in complete disgust before you turned in the opposite direction to put your things down.

Like most Sumeru forests, there were plenty of types of animals. There were crystalflies that were sometimes the only light source you had, frogs that sometimes crept up your legs as you walked in tall, wet blades of grass and nearly made you scream every time and lizards that always somehow found a way inside and slithered across your floors.

There was also an orange cat, who sat on walls and tree stumps and watched you while meowing loudly but slipped away hissing if ever you went over to scare it off.

You spent the first two weeks after you moved in making adjustments to the rather old house. You hardly ate or slept, you just worked. There were days when you did not change clothes or drink water even, being so focused on your work that you hardly noticed anything else around you.

“This is my favorite!” exclaimed Willow, pointing at the Padisarah Pudding that was blocked off by a wall of glass.

“How much mora is it?” You asked, taking out your wallet. “I'll buy it for you. I am buying some Samosas here anyway, so it is no trouble. If you want, I can buy you some too, I recommend getting the potato and pea one.”

“No,” Willow answered, shaking her head while chuckling. “I'm fine. I have to use up some old vegetables and meat anyway at home before they go bad or my parents are going to kill me for real.” 

“Alright, be sure to check the ingredients beforehand for any dirt or mold,” you said. “‘I do not want you getting sick.”

You stood by one of the bakery’s windows, observing the rain pouring down. This rain wasn't the type you could venture out into; it was the other kind, cascading from the sky and creating splashes upon impact. This rain was serious, and its current agenda was transforming the streets into a murky, soggy mixture.

There was nothing to do here other than talk to Willow and wait for your food. Not that that was a bad thing in your book.

You had met through a mutual stalker, to put it simply, and now are inseparable. Even though that man is currently rotting in a prison cell, the past still influenced both of your actions. You just thank Lesser Lord Kusanali for granting you good fortune. With every new stalker, Willow seemed to be connected to them somehow, making you two even closer than before. You bond over your shared reverence of violence and love.

So, you start talking.

You start talking with a tone akin to someone making small talk over the weather, but instead of dark clouds or how bright the sun is, you talk about the man you saw yesterday. Willow listens, nodding a bit from time to time while still looking both outside the window and to the glass wall where the desserts were placed for the viewership of the customers. From the way she smiles with every word you say, you know you have piqued her interest yet again.

“Interesting.” She finally says, her back turned to you as she looks out to the rainstorm.

iii. “I wondered, why does a man who has done nothing think he deserves everything? That is what this experiment is about.”

“Hello?” You say, opening your door. “You're back.”

“Yes,” The man answered, playing with the buttons on his torn clothing. “Only for you, beloved.”

“Should I be honored?” You asked. “Who are you? What are you?”

“Your prince, what else?”

“Who or what else are you?”

“Someone utterly in love with you, someone you love too.”

“How do you know that?”

"My mouth,” The man answers, leaning in closer to you with his tongue out. “Look—look at it. The better to eat you with, my dear. It hungers for you. I just know you are the one to finally satisfy it. It is in a wolf's nature to feed, after all.”

“I see.” You look down as he kisses you, showing no resistance. He has holes in his shoes. His big toes are sticking out like sore thumbs. You suppose that they are, in a way.

“You have two choices. One, I will eat you now; or two, I will cut your arms and legs off one by one and eat them in front of you slowly as you cry on the floor covered in filth.”

You considered this carefully as you thought of an answer, preparing to ask him why.

So, you do, because he does not stop you and you want to know, don't you? He does not stop you.

He says for love.

You ask again.

He once again says it is for love. You say that love isn’t something given as part of an exchange or contract, that what he is asking for is bitter and dry.

He simply laughs. “For love.”

“But do you love me?"

“You smell so good, like the finest rose in all of Sumeru, all of Teyvat, even all of Celestia.”

Struggling would be useless. “Have there been others?” You ask.

"You must be the seventh," he remarked, leaving you to grapple with this realization. Escape became an impossible feat as he denied you any chance to flee. 

As if responding to his words, the door creaked open, followed by a gunshot.

iv. “I could have simply sliced her apart the moment I saw her and threw her to my patients, but I could not waste someone as fascinating as her. She is a treasure trove of knowledge, and it is rather rare to find someone as interesting as her, my assistant.”

The man fell to the floor grasping his shot through chest. Willow helped you up. Life quickly faded from the man's once concealed eyes, his red eyes.

“The plan worked,” Willow said. “Good job. He won't see you anymore. We make a good team I think.”

You agree.

“You should boil some water.” She said.

You then shrugged. “I'm getting tired of soup.” You responded. “I want sauce or something to go with the Samosas.”

Willow did not say anything for a moment.

It was dark outside now, with the rain still falling from the sky and making tiny splatters on the soil, making it hard to see out the window.

Perhaps making soup for dinner was not a bad idea after all. Days like this called for comfort. “Fine,” You say, and Willow smiles. “I’ll start prepping ingredients.”

“I’ll run to my home and get the leftovers I talked about.” She is already putting back on her coat before you can rebut.

You sighed as you heard the door close. It was time to get to work, you suppose.

“Come out, my friend.” You take the meat cleaver out from the kitchen drawer where you put the rest of your knives, the said cleaver still stained with blood from the month before. “You are unsightly if I am being perfectly honest with you.” You mutter, shaking your head.

…

Dinner went off without any problems. It was a lovely feast. However, heating the Samosas without breaking them was kind of difficult for you because you only had one small pan and one large pot.

Something creaks in the distance.

Creeeeeeeeak. The floorboards. You and Willow are too busy talking to notice. The sound came from your bedroom. A man with a mustache the color of rotting mint that covered his mouth and chin, his filthy brown hair long and dirty, and even some animal fur being laid about everywhere on his scalp.

He sneaks out your bedroom window.

His shadow was hardly seen by either of you because of how fast he ran.

He was like a spider. The comparison was sort of funny because he knew how much you hated them.

He has to eventually make his way to Port Ormos to catch his boat back to Snezhnaya. 

But that can wait for later. You are so much better than business and any other projects he is currently doing or has discarded. 

All he can think about is you. He thinks of what to tell the current him, of how many stalkers you and your friend have murdered in retribution for their harassment.

Would he be delighted?

Would he be angered?

There is no way to know for sure. After all, whenever someone tries to talk to him they have to tread the line between being too nice and being too rude unless they want to find themselves on the other side of the operations.

There is just one more thing he needs to check before he goes. Just one. It will only take a minute. It will be quick.

He steps on the old well’s edge and looks down into the murky water.

He sees one of the clones’ skulls floating on the surface, its disintegrating bone covered in flies fighting each other for the tiniest scraps of fat. 

They buzzed and buzzed until he could not take it anymore and threw a large rock, breaking the cranium and scaring away the flying insects, though there is no doubt that maggots are being born where the eyes and tongue used to be.

You and Willow throw the bones down the well. Just what he thought.

Good.

v. “My work is the purest form of art there is. It requires painstaking detail and absolute perfection, all in the spirit of scientific advancement and understanding. As an example, the first part of this experiment in particular is a success.”

[agtteam]

AGT Team May - June Progress Report

We're back! And as promised, this time around we're introducing two exciting new projects! But first...

[NDS] Mushishi: Amefuru Sato

Ithyrial here with a special announcement!

The translation phase is complete! Once again I'd like to extend a HUGE thank-you to Phantom for helping get this done!

The playtesting phase won't be opened just yet due to some issues with the game crashing, but once we get that sorted out it'll be good to go. Until then, anybody interested in playtesting/proofreading/copyediting is welcome to go ahead and reach out so we can get you on board when the time comes!

[PS2] Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami o Tsugu Shoujo

Iredc from the AGT discord talking here! I'm proud to introduce a new project: "Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami o tsugu shoujo".

Released in 2005, it's the third FMA game for the Playstation 2, and like the previous entries, a blend of action and RPG. However, unlike the other titles, it was never released in English, something that we're working to fix now.

It's a pretty fun game, with some innovations like the possibility to control both Ed and Al to take advantage of their different abilities, a Tag Team battle mode, lots of unlockable secrets, and even a stealth gameplay level.

Illidan is working on the hacking part; extraction and repacking of files is done, while some work with the fonts is still needed. Phantom is editing the graphics. And I'm translating the text (around a third of it is done).

If you're a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist, be sure to check on our progress!

[NDS] Death Note: Successors to L

That leaves me, Phantom, to introduce the other of our two new projects, the long-awaited second Death Note DS game! Many of you may be aware that we've released English patches for the first and third Death Note games, so it was high time the second got the same treatment.

Successors to L features gameplay based on the board game "Scotland Yard". Avoid traps and the FBI on Kira's side, or hunt down and arrest Kira on the Investigator's side as you complete plot-relevant missions. Fans of less-major characters should be pleased by the game's impressive roster, with a story that spans the entire original series timeline.

Thanks to the efforts of creeper and blueraspberrysundae, two new translators who've joined us for this project, the translation has already reached an impressive 38%!

[NDS] Naruto RPG 2: Chidori Vs Rasengan

And last but not least, proofreading work continues on Naruto! As we mentioned in a previous ask, the final proofreading round has now passed the halfway point of the story, having reached the famous fight between Itachi and Kakashi. We hope to have the patch released as soon as life permits!

[clicktuck-suskriberz]

1998 furbies are ambush predators

Shellbies fill a similar ecological niche underwater

2005 furbies are larger due to having more food

2012 furbies are more omnivorous, leading to more vibrant coats

Party Rockers are completely herbivorous

Booms are camouflage speciation of 2012 furbies

Crystal Series Booms evolved hard crystal-like shells on their eggs to defend against predators

Furby Connects are a nocturnal species evolved for stealth and food storage, opting to communicate through signals too high for most to hear, even other furby species

2023 furbies are a hybrid of Furby Connects and Crystal Series Booms, more adapted to be able to keep watch all day

Furby Babies, Furblings, and Furblets are young versions of the 1998, Boom (and presumably 2012) (and I think Connect), and 2023 furbies respectively

Peepys feed off of furby eggs and young and usually roam areas where Furby Booms are present, causing the speciation into Crystal Booms

[therobotmonster]

Gah, I love Turtles of Grayskull!

I'm on record for rambling about how much I love MOTU origins, an action figure line that provides solid value, craftsmanship, and a sense of fun in an era where everything is increasingly none of those things.

And Turtles of Grayskull understands both its contributors spirits intimately in a way many nostalgia projects don't.

Because nostalgia remembers the cool very easily. But it rarely remembers the silly and the stupid-fun.

You buy a bus ticket to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" or "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" and you have to know that route will be winding almost exclusively through Historical Crazytowne.

And the Turtles of Grayskull/MOTU Origins team gets this. This isn't some Batman/TMNT crossover where they give you a bunch of cool mutant Arkham Villains and deny you toys of them (but a Michaelangelo wearing the bat-cowl is worth a sculpt, eye-roll).

Recent-ish stuff to ramble about:

Okay, not only is this just an awesome Hordak variant, he's conceptually blended with Lord Draxum. You've got the mutant bat-wings, to go with Hordak's vampire thing, but his shapeshifting weapon arm from the toon is very clearly a mutagen-blaster evoking the mutagen-mosquitos. You've got the shoulder pads evoking Draxum's little gargoyle boys. Fantastique!

I had wondered who Casey was taking inspiration from for awhile, but apparently the lore got revealed from his packaging, he's combined... with the WEAPON RACK/Pack.

Well, technically he raided it, but it's a clever option when it would have been easy to just put him in Man-at-Arms gear or give him a Man-E-Faces gimmick. Deep cuts are appreciated, as is that delightful amount of accessory swag.

Stealth Leo is just a cool Leonardo figure. He's the reason for my hypothesis that Mattel is low-key pitching to be the main TMNT figure company. April gets a sweet power up by being Combined with Zo-ar and the Sorceress, and the amount of new sculpting is impressive there. Nobody would have blinked if she'd been 90% Sorceress parts, so I appreciate it.

He-Man goes stealth ninja after he's de-mutated. that's cool I guess, but He's probably going to wind up with a different head when I get him. Skeletor, however, is everything you want in a repaint guy. 90s neon? Check, kusari-gama with goat skulls? Check. Tube of mutagen? Check. He's obviously a premold for the 2005 Samurai Skeletor but who cares? He's green!

Splinter-Skull is mostly OG Playmates Splinter, down to the face design, but he's got just enough King Grayskull in him to keep him a fun hybrid. In fiction, this is is the spirit of Grayskull taking on a form to match both sets of heroes asking for his help. Fun!

Leatherhead, on the other hand, is just Mattel auditioning to make normal TMNT toys again. Toss some WWEternia legs with some pants on that guy and he's basically the best and most in-scale Leatherhead to not come out of NECA. I look forward to the use of that tail on many, many snakemen related characters to come.

And yet there's more!

I thought this was going to be a four-wave limited thing. But apparently they're just keeping the train rolling until the wheels fall off, to which I say...

Wave 5 has been semi-revealed (no pics yet) and it's:

Variant Donatello, Variant Raphael, Mekaneck, and Rattlor!

Donnie and Raph are going to be costume variants like Stealth Leo, though I'm hoping they're not also stealth versions, because there's tons of other options to pull from.

My druthers would be them with accessory pak themes (cliff climber Raph, Scuba-Attack Donnie (to nod at the wind-up swimming donnie toy), etc). The Dontatello #1 gauntlet could be a fun accessory, and I wouldn't say no to a "slime pit zombie" Raph, but we'll have to wait and see.

The real thing that has me hyped is Mekaneck and Rattlor. I love reptile-people, and the Snake-Men give me a lot of them, so I'm always glad to get more options.

Mekaneck is one of the dorkiest MOTU characters and is thus one of my favorites. He's immensely goofy, and his origin implies that Man-at-Arms decided to fix the guy's broken neck by chopping off his head and giving him an extendable robotic spine. He also has the advantage of just being somebody's dad.

His son is named Philip, by the way.

I can't imagine them not making Mekaneck a wildly mutated weirdo. They had to pack his origins figure in with the road ripper to make him appealing, so I'm pretty sure he's gonna be a mutant. Fingers crossed for a giraffe head. Bonus points if its some kinda blue eternian giraffe or something.

And Rattlor, man, I want him to be a full on character hybrid so bad. Options: Tokka (snappers do have long necks), Snakeweed, Rat King (King Ratsnake?), Hothead & Scaletail.

[lakemojave]

Kojima haunts the Metal Gear Solid series however, and that’s not just a critical statement, this is literally true. Throughout shadow moses are opportunities for photos of interesting things, and if you go back and scan them later, ghosts of the developers can be found in the pictures with an on screen option to “exorcise” them. Kojima himself is among the actual ghosts haunting Shadow Moses, just as Gray Fox is a ghost haunting the narrative, phasing in and out of view with this stealth camo. The base itself is a crumbling gothic wonder of sorts, a house on the edge of the world built to house objects of the past deemed too dangerous for the present. The game is set in 2005, though developed in 1998, and even at the end of the cold war, Metal Gear makes its first truly novel statement about the state of nuclear weapons. When Snake finds the second hostage, Armstech President Baker, Baker tells Snake that though nuclear disarmament is finally taking place, the process is messy, careless, and the nuclear threat still remains at large. Many nukes still exist in the world ready to be deployed, and the ones that are decommissioned are sent to places like Shadow Moses, where even the four walls that contain them are cracking and crumbling at the seams. We are not safe from these weapons--the game pulls details from history and current events to make this claim. Metal Gear does make some frightening statements when it’s more grounded in reality, doesn’t it?

Check out my review of Metal Gear Solid on my patreon! This ended up being like 8,000 words it's one of the heftier game critiques I've ever done. Join for as low as a dollar a month!

[koichizeni-dunkminimi]

AAAAAAA, I'm in deep shock!

why did I just now find out that the Ukrainian company Action Forms, that created Vivisector released a game-sequel to the movie Treasure Island back in 2005?! And the game is not just some point and click, but a bloody arcada-beat them up game with elements of parkour, stealth and puzzles?!?!? one problem tho, that in itself it is short, because it seems that they did not have enough budget for a full-fledged ending. but it's still interesting

Для українців є навіть прекрасне відео про гру:

[ao3feed-zukka]

sweetness in your bones

Read now on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/k20mPsa by sulkybender “Do I look like my father?” he asks, and Sokka kisses his ear. “No, baby.” “You’re sure?” “Yes,” Sokka says. Then he looks at Zuko, hesitating. “What,” he says. “What is it.” “I don’t know if you’re going to like it.” “Tell me,” Zuko says. He squeezes Sokka’s hand. “Please.” “Well,” he says. “You actually look more like Iroh.” Words: 1097, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 2 of Zukka week 2024 Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Izumi (Avatar) Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar) Additional Tags: loving dads Zukka, Post-Canon, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), softko, just a little stealth OCD Zuko, body acceptance, finding peace in your body and in your mind, protective and loving Zukka Read it on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/k20mPsa

[vermutandherring]

Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine - Issue 95 - August 2005. Source: Internet Archive

Today, 24 of October, came out (or rather were re-released) classic Metal Gear games, starting with the very first games in the series. It doesn't matter either Konami did it to get more money, or to engage more players into the series, alongside with the news about MGS remake.

Personally, I see this as a good gesture of respect for one's heritage and an example for other developers to show that there is still a place for classic works in the world of modern videogames. After all, a classic will always be a classic.

What surprises me are the comments of some reviewers, the essence of which is that the games have not been improved or modified, but only optimized for modern operating systems. A rather strange remark, in my opinion. After all, when you visit a museum, you don't expect to see a polished Rembrandt or an 'improved' Michelangelo. You want to see with your own eyes what has been the crown of human genius for several centuries in a row. You want to see a unique original, because you can always order an lame copy on the Internet. In this regard, I agree with the Richard Wakeling' words in his article on Gamespot:

"More than anything, revisiting the series' humble beginnings essentially functions as a virtual museum, providing you with a fascinating look at how familiar elements began and then evolved as Metal Gear made the monumental shift to 3D. Both games--particularly Metal Gear 2--feel like blueprints for what was to come, establishing the foundations for Metal Gear Solid and stealth-action video games as a whole. Codec conversations, alert statuses, enemy-identifying radar, and gameplay concepts such as crawling through vents and using sound to draw the enemy's attention were all part of the series' roots over 33 years ago. Even if you have no interest in seeing either game through to completion, it's worth at least giving them a try to see where Metal Gear got its start."

Ukraine is out of party again (at least on Konami' official page), but I'd say we are used to it

At a time when so-called WWIII is not just outside the door, but on your doorstep, the content of Metal Gear is more relevant than ever. And now, thanks to the re-release of the first MG games, it is possible to trace how the games have turned from silly, pointless shooters into complex philosophical works capable of telling complex stories.

[an-aussie-button-masher]

Everything You Should Know About Princess Peach: Showtime!

   After waiting over 18 years for a new leading role, the stage is set for everyone’s favourite video game royalty to take centre stage in Princess Peach: Showtime! Peach finally gets her own spinoff again, the first one since 2005’s Super Princess Peach on the DS, a natural progression to the more active heroic roles she’s taken in some of the more recent Super Mario games. No longer the damsel in distress, Peach is ready to take off on her own adventure, with her own new allies against her own new antagonist! Showtime is coming to a Nintendo Switch near you on March 22nd, but before then, read on for a handy collection of everything we’ve learned about the game from various trailers and teasers. Actors, take your places - it’s time for a show-stopping performance!

Characters & Plot - Casting Call!    The star of the show is, of course, Princess Peach, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, longtime ally of the Mario Bros. (when she isn’t in need of rescue, anyway). Attending a strange new theatre show that has popped up out of nowhere, the Sparkle Theatre, Peach finds herself trapped when the theatre is attacked and overrun by the Wicked Grape (above; yes, Peach’s new villain is named Grape). Grape and her minions, the Sour Bunch, take over the theatre and start terrorising the theatre’s remaining staff, the lightbulb-shaped Theets. Stella, the guardian fairy of the theatre, teams up with Peach to bring the fight to Grape and her troupe, retake the theatre and save the day! With a new power dubbed Sparkle, Peach and Stella can aid the Theets and fight off the Sour Bunch, restoring the Sparkle Theatre back to normal, one act at a time - the show must go on!

Gameplay Basics    The game features 2.5D sidescrolling levels, with each level portrayed as a stage play. Peach can attack enemies and interact with stage props and Theets with help from Stella, using her ribbon like a whip or grapple. The gameplay shifts genres from stage to stage - the first level revolves around hack-and-slash platforming, followed by cooking minigames of all things in the second level. Clue-sleuthing mystery-solving, sneaky stealth levels, rhythm games - there’s a level for everything, all depending on a central, thematic transformation Peach can use. Much like the Power Stars of Mario games, the main collectables of Showtime are Sparkle Gems. There are 10 Sparkle Gems per level, either rewarded for clearing certain parts of a level or beating challenges, or just hidden around the levels - so keep your eyes peeled! Near the beginning of each level, Peach can use Stella’s Sparkle power to transform into various different costumes, each with their own unique abilities and gameplay. Let’s take a look at them all, shall we?

Transformations    The main attraction: Peach’s transformations! From left to right, we have Patissiere Peach, Ninja Peach, Kung-Fu Peach, Cowgirl Peach, Swordfighter Peach, Mighty Peach, Mermaid Peach, Dashing Thief Peach, Figure Skater Peach and Detective Peach.   Swordfighter, Kung-Fu, Cowgirl, Figure Skater & Mighty Peach are all seemingly more combat-oriented transformations; Swordfighter with fancy fencing and dodging moves, Kung-Fu with more focus on fighting game-style attacks and combos, Cowgirl lassoing enemies and chasing them on horseback, Figure Skater, well, skating around and battling foes while constantly moving, and Mighty being able to fly about and battle enemies superhero-style with gadgets and super strength.   Ninja and Dashing Thief Peach are more stealthy, with Ninja Peach hiding in the environment to sneak-attack unsuspecting enemies and Dashing Thief parkouring across rooftops and hacking security systems.   Detective, Patissiere & Mermaid Peach are more utility-themed, minigame-centric transformations - search for clues, interview witnesses and gather evidence as Detective; create tasty treats in timed challenges as Patissiere; and direct fish to grab out-of-reach collectables and beat rhythm minigames with Mermaid’s singing.   Each transformation has a specific stage centred around them; Showtime includes a Super Mario 64-esque hub level, with doors leading off from the main room to the actual levels. Each door is labelled with a symbol to represent whichever transformation that level is themed around, with the very first level starring Swordfighter Peach. Better start practising your dodging skills!

      That’s just about everything there is to know about Princess Peach: Showtime! before it releases on March 22nd, 2024! I know I’m excited - let me know if you are too! Feedback, reblogs and likes are much appreciated, and thanks for reading!

An Aussie Button-Masher